README.md

pkgconf

pkgconf provides compiler and linker configuration for development frameworks.

general summary

pkgconf is a program which helps to configure compiler and linker flags for
development frameworks.

It is similar to pkg-config, but was written from scratch in the summer of 2011
to replace pkg-config, which for a while needed itself to build itself (they have
since included a 'stripped down copy of glib 2.0') Since then we have worked on
improving pkg-config for embedded use.

usage

Implementations of pkg-config, such as pkgconf, are typically used with the
PKG_CHECK_MODULES autoconf macro. As far as we know, pkgconf is
compatible with all known variations of this macro. pkgconf detects at
runtime whether or not it was started as 'pkg-config', and if so, attempts
to set program options such that its behaviour is similar.

In terms of the autoconf macro, it is possible to specify the PKG_CONFIG
environment variable, so that you can test pkgconf without overwriting your
pkg-config binary. Some other build systems may also respect the PKG_CONFIG
environment variable.

To set the enviornment variable on the bourne shell and clones (i.e. bash), you
can run:

$ export PKG_CONFIG=/usr/bin/pkgconf

technical design (why pkgconf is better for distros)

pkgconf builds an acyclic directed dependency graph. This allows for the user
to more conservatively link their binaries -- which may be helpful in some
environments, such as when prelink(1) is being used. As a result of building
a directed dependency graph designed for the specific problem domain provided
by the user, more accurate dependencies can be determined. pkg-config, on the
other hand builds a database of all known pkg-config files on the system before
attempting to resolve dependencies, which is a considerably slower and less
efficient design.

pkgconf also does not bundle any third-party libraries or depend on any third-party
libraries, making it a great tool for embedded systems and distributions with
security concerns.

compiling

pkgconf is basically compiled the same way any other autotools-based project is
compiled:

$ ./configure
$ make
$ sudo make install

If you are installing pkgconf into a custom prefix, such as /opt/pkgconf, you will
likely want to define the default system includedir and libdir for your toolchain.
To do this, use the --with-system-includedir and --with-system-libdir configure
flags like so:

If you want pkgconf to be used when you invoke pkg-config, you should install a
symlink for this. We do not do this for you, as we believe it is better for vendors
to make this determination themselves.